jill bliss nature drawings + journal giveaway

It’s a dreary morning here in Brooklyn so I’m happy to escape into the world of Jill Bliss‘ nature drawings. To celebrate her new Nature Drawing Journal, Jill is sharing a new illustration with us every morning this week. Today she’s sharing a daffodil drawing inspired by a flower she found on her way to teach at Portland State and hoping that it will inspire you to draw something, too. From today on, Jill and I are opening up the nature drawing process to everyone- and will be picking one lucky reader to receive a free copy of Jill’s new Nature Drawing Journal.

To be considered for the free book all you have to do is pick up a pencil (or pen or paintbrush) and draw. Starting today, take the time to find the nature in your town and draw your version of it on paper. This isn’t a contest to find the most amazing artist, but rather the drawing that really captures the spirit of nature and the fun you had while drawing it. Here’s what we need:

-Upload your own original nature illustration today through Friday, April 8th and leave a link to it in the comment section of any of Jill’s morning posts on D*S this week. (You can link to a Flickr image, a blog post, a Twitpic, etc. But please do not link to a private page of any sort that we cannot see)

-Either on your illustration or with your illustration (in comment form) tell us about what’s in the drawing and what inspired you to pick and draw that piece of nature.

Over the weekend Jill and I will pick our favorite drawing/story combo and send that reader a free copy of Jill’s new book! So if you’re feeling inspired, we hope you’ll share that with us. Don’t be afraid if you’ve never drawn before- this contest is really about a celebration of drawing nature and finding the best combination of image and story. xo, grace

Comments

i thought i had already entered my comment but can’t seem to find it…so sorry if i’ve lost my mind and this is a repeat comment!

my drawing is of the tulips blooming in our front garden. i got my hands dirty and planted them last fall…my first go at gardening all on my own! i was nervous and anxious allll winter to see if my tulips would bloom. one morning a few weeks ago my husband went outside to get the paper and called my name so i could take a look at the fruits of my labour :). thanks so much for giving me a reason to document my little accomplishments!

after failing to be able to submit my entry the last two days, of course i see this morning that jill and i drew the same piece of nature! i suppose that is what happens when you live in the same city that prides itself in being called “stumptown.”

apologies for the repetition – but here is a link to my blog that contains both my illustration and description:

Hello, what an inspiring book and giveaway! Thank you for this opportunity.

I am a Japanese native living in a kibbutz in Israel ( I know, but I was pleasantly surprised that I’m not the only one). I see beautiful nature daily, be it birds, flowers, trees, and the wonderful scents some of them release. It’s been especially beautiful for the last 2,3 months when we had lots of rain and everything bloomed. I am going to enjoy it as much as I can before we enter the smack-in-the-face hot desert heat!

Your project allowed me to notice the intricate details of the beautiful nature around me. Thank you so much!

Spring here is still in the chilly April showers stage, but I am watching my garden each day and anticipating the May flowers, one of which is a tulip called Apricot Beauty which lives up to its name by changing from pale apricots through pinks as it matures. Thanks for having this opportunity to see so many fantastic interpretations of spring from your readers. http://twitpic.com/4ihyn3

I love spring because it is a time of transformation- there are little bits of the new world that pop up..the early crocuses, the robin heralds that bop about with great purpose, and even these little sprouts I found in the green patches of moss. When I walked outside, I was drawn to this tiny bit of green among the nondescript tans and grays of winter. I love that spring comes slowly so that we have time to love and feel blessed by every new detail. Spring comes in, bit by lovely bit, daffodils and budding trees, until the whole world sighs in flowers and we all shout yes Yes YES

One of my favorite things to draw and paint are flowers. My favorite artist being Georgia Okeefe has been an inspiration to me for as long as I could remember. My husband has never once given me a boquet of flowers because he believes that if he buys me the plant I can continually see the beauty over and over again. I see the same flower in another way each time I look at them. The things that change my view of them is the smell, the time of year, how they have spread, how they surface through the earth and how they look once I have dried them. I also like to use the dried flowers for decoupage projects. Seeing a flower open is like seeing one of my children grow and change. It is a continual amazment to me and it was only when I saw the work of Jill Bliss that I realized that how lucky I am to see flowers in my own way. And thanks to her, I will now have no fear of experimenting further with my love of flowers and plants.http://www.flickr.com/photos/11121198@N04/tags/flowersketches

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